Herbert A. Doan

BS Chemical Engineering 1949

Mr. Herbert D. Doan is the grandson of Herbert H. Dow, the founder of the Dow Chemical Company. He attended Cornell University from 1941 until 1943 when he joined the U.S. Air Force. He returned to Cornell in 1946 to complete the five-year Chemical Engineering program in 1949. Following graduation he joined the Dow Chemical Company where he held various positions until being elected President and CEO in 1962- a position he held until his retirement in 1971. He continued as a member of the Board until 1987 and served on the board of Directors of Dow Corning Corporation for 18 years until 1987. He formed Doan Associates in 1971, a partnership which engaged in venture capital activities. In 1974, he and his associates formed Doan Resources Corporation, a small business investment company.

Mr. Doan is a board member of Neogen Corporation, an East Lansing Biotechnology Company; is Chair of Michigan Molecular Institute and board member of Dendritech, Inc. He is a Trustee and Chairman of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. Mr. Doan served on the National Science Board from 1976 to 1982, serving as Chair in 1981 and 1982. He was a member of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and the Technology Assessment Board. He served on the University of Michigan, College of Engineering, National Advisory Council and as a member of the University of Chicago Board of Governors for Argonne National Laboratories.

He is an Emeritus member of Cornell University’s Engineering Council, a member of Cornell’s Research Foundation, and was appointed to Governor Engler’s Task Force on Venture Capital as co-chair. He is a member of AIChE, ACS and Sigma XI.